Background

The Great Society of Movie Watchers came into existance in September of this year. Stephen suggested that a few of us get together every week to watch a movie, and the original idea was to fit the movies into a theme. This past fall we did a run of Hitchcock movies, and managed to make our way through Vertigo, North By Northwest, The Birds, Psycho, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Rear Window, To Catch a Thief, Rope, and Dial M for Murder.

After Christmas, though, we moved away from the constraints of a theme and decided instead to make our selections from a list of movies with great variety: the IMDb Top 250. Each week one club member picks a movie from this list and is in charge of not only procuring a copy of the film, but also debriefing everyone on the background of the movie. We've seen several of the IMDb Top 250 now: Trainspotting, Seven Samurai, Harvey, Duck Soup, Bladerunner, Arsenic and Old Lace, and Grave of the Fireflies.

From now on after we see each movie, the one who picked it will write about the film experience and what everyone thought of the movie. Here is a bit about each club member and the type of movies we enjoy....

Jesse

I always put myself into the shoes of the characters in movies, so I enjoy watching movies to see how characters deal with life. Movie club is cool because it exposes me to movies that I wouldn't usually pick out, but have something to say about the world.

5 all-time favorite movies: The Lives of Others, The Twilight Samurai, Big Fish, Gosford Park, Zoolander
5 all-time least favorite movies: Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, Dude, Where's My Car?, E.T., The Holiday, Seven
Movie I Refuse to Watch: Any Saw movie
Favorite Great Society of Movie Watchers (GSMW) film: Harvey
Least Favorite GSMW film: Arsenic & Old Lace

Kyle

I like to escape into the movies that I watch. So I don’t really like drama’s or war film’s. Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Comedy is my preferred favorite.

5 all-time favorite movies: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Harvey, The Incredible’s, Pirate’s of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, and Elf.
5 all-time least favorite movies: King Kong (2005), Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Batman (1989), Talladega Nights, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie.
Movie I Refuse to Watch: Titanic
Favorite GSMW film: Seven Samurai
Least Favorite GSMW film: Vertigo

Valerie

I love stories, especially when they are beautifully told. I love the immersion into a different world, whether it's realistic or not. I love the history of movies, movie stars, and everything in between.

5 all-time favorite movies: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, That Thing You Do, Singin' in the Rain, Newsies, A League of Their Own
5 all-time least favorite movies: Something's Gotta Give, Robin Hood: Prince of Theives, Donnie Darko, The Royal Tennenbaums, The Fifth Element
Movie I Refuse to Watch: Requiem for a Dream
Favorite GSMW film: Psycho
Least Favorite GSMW film: Blade Runner

Stephen (aka Stevox)

Another time, another place, another universe: I love to escape.

5 all-time favorite movies: Hook, Jurasic Park, The Matrix, Singin' in the Rain, Zoolander
5 all-time least favorite movies: Jurassic Park III, King Kong, The Mask, The Matrix Revolutions, Todo Sobre Mi Madre
Movie I Refuse to Watch: The Shining. I don't think I could handle it.
Favorite GSMW film: Harvey
Least Favorite GSMW film: Arsenic and Old Lace